God makes the world
key words
biblical reference
Genesis 1:1 - 2:3
lesson objective
To help the children know that God created the earth.
memory verse
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
God wanted people to know that he made the world and everything in it.
This timeless story about God’s creative power has sparked heated debate between scientists and theologians. However, Hebrews 11:3 clarifies the following truth: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God’s command.” The important thing about creation is that it points us towards the Creator. It is an undeniable truth that God made the world and everything that exists.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Following the first three words of Scripture: “in the beginning,” we are told that God created everything. Throughout the rest of the Bible, he is identified as our Creator, and we are united to him as his creation.
God created and shaped everything out of nothing. He made the oceans, the rivers, the waterfalls, the earth and stars, the land and aquatic animals. He made man in his image and likeness, as the crown of his creation.
Preschoolers are in a stage of exploration and discovery. Their learning is sensory, and they experience everything around them. Their curiosity is limitless. They want to know why the wind moves the leaves of the trees, why the sun and moon shine, why there are so many kinds of animals, etc.
This is a good opportunity for you to uncover a fundamental truth: God is the Creator of the whole universe. Through their short experience, they know part of God’s creation, but they must know that he is the author and sustainer of all that exists. In this lesson, the children will learn that all creation is good because God made it with love, and that people have the task of taking care of it.
Above all, they must recognize themselves as a special and unique part of God’s creation.
introduce the lesson
Look at what God has done
This activity can also be done in the classroom. Provide your children with magazines, books or pictures of landscapes, animals, or people. Emphasize that everything they see is part of what God created.
My favorite animal
If you want, instead of asking them to draw, give them Play-doh or modeling clay to make the shape of their favorite animal.
When they finish, have the children show their animals. Tell them: Animals are just one part of the many things God created. He created the world and everything in it, but there is something else that God created. We will learn about that in today’s Bible story.
teach the lesson
Through these stories, the children will learn fundamental biblical truths that they can share with others.
What God did
Gather your children and show them the Bible. Emphasize that it is a very special book because it is the Word of God. In it, we learn that God is the Creator of all that exists, like the stars, the sun, the moon, and the animals. Biblical history shows us even more about his wonderful creation.
To help stimulate learning, prepare visual material to illustrate your lesson. Perhaps you can use laminated pictures of the sky and earth, animals, landscapes, people, etc. Show each picture while explaining step-by-step the story of creation.
God the creator
In the beginning, there was only God. There was no other one, nothing else.
God decided to create a wonderful world. First, the world was dark and filled with water. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and immediately there was light. Then he said, “Let there be heaven,” and immediately the heavens appeared. Then God said, “Let the waters be gathered together in one place, and let there be ground.” And the Lord called what was dry areas “land” and he called the wet areas “seas”.
Once again, the voice of God was heard: “Let there be plants and trees,” and suddenly plants, trees of all kinds (some bearing fruit), grass and many flowers appeared.
“Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night,” said the Lord, and he made the sun to light the day, and the moon and the stars to shine at night.
Again God spoke and said, “Let there be fish and other living creatures in the water, and birds in the sky.” At that moment the seas were filled with beautiful fish, and all kinds of birds were flying through the sky.
On the sixth day of creation God commanded, “Let there be all kinds of living creatures on the earth,” and he made all the animals that exist.
Finally, he thought it would be good to do something very special, and said, “Let’s make people. They will care for the world, and they will be a very special part of my creation.”
And so God created Adam and Eve, and gave them a place to live and food to eat. God gave Adam the responsibility of naming all the animals.
Afterward, God saw everything he had made and thought it was very good.
On the seventh day, he rested.
connect the lesson
Creation word review game
Give children Student Activity Sheet #18, scissors, and a plastic bag or envelope. Help them trim the cards along the dotted lines. Afterwards, everyone should mix up their cards and put them face down on the table; they must be careful not to mix them up with someone else’s. Tell them to choose two cards and turn them over to see if they are the same. While having fun playing, review what they have learned during the lesson. Make sure that everyone keeps their respective cards in their plastic bags and takes them home to tell the story to their family members.
Let’s take care of God’s creation
Have a plant, a toy animal, and a doll. Ask the children to sit in a circle. Say: “God is the Creator of our world. He made plants to grow on the earth.” (show the plant)
Then show the toy animal. Say: “God created animals that live on the earth, in the sky and in the sea.”
Finally, show the doll. Sat: “God created people to live on the earth and take care of the animals and the rest of his creation.
Encourage a brainstorming time about how they can take care of God’s creation. Ask the children, “Do you have any animals at your home? What could you do to take care of the animals?
Do you have any plants at your home? What could you do to take care of the plants? Do you have other people in your home? What can you do to help the other people in your home?
practice the memory verse
Around and around we go
While holding hands, form a circle and repeat the memory verse as you rotate. When you stop, ask one child to say the verse. Then turn the other way and have the children rotate in the opposite direction. Ask another child to say the verse. Help any child who forgets a word. Keep playing until every child has an opportunity to say the verse.
wrap-up
Pray
Let the children thank God for his wonderful creation. Let each child say, “Thank you, God, for ___________ (name a plant, animal, or person).
Encourage
Encourage the children to take time to look at nature this week and thank God for all he made.
Invite
Ask the children to tell their family and friends what they learned in class using their review game. Send them off with enthusiasm, and invite them to the next session.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™